Summary Noor had earlier secured his place in the last 16 with a 3-1 win over American wildcard Bransten Ming
(Web Desk) - Pakistan’s Noor Zaman pulled off a major upset on Wednesday, defeating defending champion and world No. 4 Karim Abdel Gawad of Egypt 3-1 to advance to the quarter-finals of the PSA Gold Silicon Valley Open in California.
The 22-year-old overcame the second-seeded Egyptian 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6 in a 52-minute encounter at Squash Zone, delivering an impressive performance in the $143,500 men’s tournament.
“I was ready mentally and physically today, and I think now is the time for me to beat the top players,” Noor said after his victory.
Ranked among the world’s top 35 players, Noor had earlier secured his place in the last 16 with a 3-1 win over American wildcard Bransten Ming. After dropping the opening game 3-11, the Pakistani recovered strongly to claim the next three games 11-5, 11-8, 11-9 in 41 minutes.
The Peshawar-born squash player, grandson of former world champion Qamar Zaman, is also the reigning 2025 U-23 world champion. He has enjoyed an impressive run in recent months, climbing into the world’s top 30 and winning five Professional Squash Association (PSA) titles.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Mohammad Ashab Irfan exited the tournament in the round of 16 after suffering a 3-0 defeat against Egypt’s fifth seed Mohamed ElShorbagy.
Irfan had reached the stage with a commanding straight-games victory over Hungary’s Balazs Farkas, winning 11-6, 11-4, 11-5.
The PSA World Tour Gold event offers equal prize money in the men’s and women’s competitions as squash prepares to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
